Consciousness, the brain, and spacetime geometry.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences April 1, 2001 S Hameroff
Consciousness may arise from quantum processes in the brain's microtubules, where quantum superpositions in tubulin proteins self-collapse at a threshold linked to quantum gravity, producing discrete conscious events. This 'orchestrated objective reduction' (Orch OR) model, proposed by Roger Penrose and colleagues, suggests each collapse is a non-computable selection of spacetime geometry, coupling consciousness to fundamental physics. The theory aims to explain enigmatic features of consciousness that conventional neuron-based approaches fail to address, such as qualia. It posits that sequences of these events create a stream of consciousness, with microtubule-associated proteins tuning the quantum oscillations to orchestrate the process.